Steam can be used for cooking vegetable and meat selections. While traditional ovens cook using hot air generated by heating elements in the oven walls, a steam oven cooks using steam generated within a cooking chamber. Archaeological excavations have uncovered pottery cooking vessels known as Yan steamers. A modern conventional steam oven can be equipped with a reservoir that is filled with water, and heating the water to boil generates steam. The generated steam may be introduced into the cooking chamber to cook food placed into the chamber.
Steam-cooked foods can retain more of their flavor, texture and color. Conventional dry heat cooking tends to rely on added fat to keep food from drying out. Food cooked with steam generally does not dry out, so supplementary fat is not required. Also, fewer vitamins, minerals and nutrients may be lost with steam cooking rather than with dry-heat cooking.
Dry or superheated steam has been applied to a wide range of fields including food preparation. Superheated steam is generated by heating ordinary steam from 100° C. to a higher temperature.